When you deliver your short, 40-60 second pitch at networking events, do people come up to you wanting to know more, or do they just yawn and turn the conversation onto themselves?

If you?d like to create more impact, you need a structure to follow, because 40-60 seconds is not a long time in which to get your message across. You need to plan what you?re going to say and practice it, so that you can deliver it clearly, in the time you have.

Kath Bonner-Dunham from 4P Business Development shared the structure she uses at a networking event I went to. She talked about the language of impact and I?d like share some of her tips with you here.

What?s the problem? Talk about one of the problems that your clients struggle with, that you can solve for them. For example, many of our clients think that to use Social Media properly to promote their business will take up huge amounts of their time and money.

What?s the solution? Tell your audience how you can solve this problem for them. I might say ?I?m running a workshop in Oxfordshire on 24 July 2012 to show people how to plan their Social Media, in order to get great results without spending a fortune or wasting their time.?

Put in some humanity. This is where you get to show people your personal side. Share something with them that shows you?re only human. I?ve made mistakes on Social Media and missed potential opportunities because I listened to people who weren?t experts.

What?s your expertise? Tell your audience about your credentials and experience, to prove that you know what you?re talking about. For my example, I might say that I?ve been working in Marketing for 17 years, running my own business for nearly 12; in that time I?ve helped hundreds of small businesses to grow and I?ve won business for them and for my business through good use of Social Media.

What?s your USP? What is it that makes you different from all the other people out there, who do pretty much what you do? Why should someone buy from you instead of them? Perhaps it?s because you?ve been there and done it; you?ve learnt which mistakes to avoid and you take a really practical, hand holding approach with your clients.

What?s next? Finally, don?t forget to tell people what you want them to do next. Do you want them to ask you more questions, book a meeting, call you to find out more? You need to give people direction ? don?t expect them to know what to do. To book your place on our workshop, How to Avoid Social Media Suicide, click here!

The next time you?re off to a networking meeting, spend some time planning what you?re going to say and you?ll be able to make a much better impact.